Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Introduction to the verb couver
The English translation of the French verb couver is “to brood” or “to sit on eggs.” The infinitive form is pronounced “koo-vay.”
The word couver comes from the Latin word “covēre,” meaning “to cover.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been used to refer to the act of a bird sitting on its eggs to keep them warm and allow them to hatch.
In everyday French, the verb couver is most often used in the Passé Antérieur tense, which is the equivalent of the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action.
Here are three examples of couver in the Passé Antérieur tense, with their English translations:
- J’avais couvé mes œufs quand la tempête a éclaté. (I had brooded my eggs when the storm broke out.)
- Tu avais couvé pendant des heures avant que les poussins ne sortent de leur coquille. (You had been sitting on the eggs for hours before the chicks hatched.)
- Il avait couvé les œufs pendant plusieurs semaines avant de les abandonner. (He had brooded the eggs for several weeks before abandoning them.)
Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of couver
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’eus | J’eus couvé | I had brooded |
tu | tu eus | Tu eus couvé | You had brooded |
il | il eut | Il eut couvé | He had brooded |
elle | elle eut | Elle eut couvé | She had brooded |
on | on eut | On eut couvé | One had brooded |
nous | nous eûmes | Nous eûmes couvé | We had brooded |
vous | vous eûtes | Vous eûtes couvé | You had brooded |
ils | ils eurent | Ils eurent couvé | They had brooded |
elles | elles eurent | Elles eurent couvé | They had brooded |
Other Conjugations for Couver.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver (this article)
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
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Couver – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense
Formation of the Passé Antérieur
Common Usage Patterns
Literature
Historical Texts
Formal Writing
Interactions with Other Tenses
Passé Composé (Present Perfect)
Imparfait (Imperfect)
Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)
Summary
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